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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · lash · snap · saw · club · march · mate · fork

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. march — the month
  4. club — for golf
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. club — for dancing
  8. net — after costs
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. club — a group
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — for catching
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mate — a partner
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fork — to eat with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com